Pipe wrench



' March e,192s. 1,661,229

G..A. MONTGOMERY PIPE WRENCH Filed March 6. 1924 Qjz verz Z02:

Mirna v. 3y ga 4- fill-arr: e 13- able gripping jaws orpawls.

Patented Mar. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFF cE.

GUSTAVUS A. MONTGOMERY, 0F TITUSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 TITUS- VILLE FORGE 00., TITUSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A

LAND.

CORPORATION MARY mm WRENCH.

Applicationfiled March 6, 1924. Serial No; 697,241.

This invention relates generally-to improvements in wrenches but more particularly to pipe wrenches or tongs.

One of its objects 1510 pro ized that it can'be conveniently manipulated in places of small compass.

Another object of the invention is to proto get out of order, and which can bema nu.

factured at a moderate cost.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a face view of the wrench in operative engagement with a pipe. Flgure 2 is an enlarged sectional'face view of the wrench-head. Figure 3 isa transverse Vertical section on line 3-3, Fig.2. Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the mov- Figure 5"is a sectional view of a modified arrangement of mounting the movable gripping jaw in the wrench-head.-

Similar characters ofreference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. v 3 V y In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 1 inclusive, 10 in dicates the wrench-head orstock which may be approximately U shape, being provided with a downwardly-facing pipe-receiving,

opening or recess 11 and opposing stationary jaw portions 12, 13. fThe latter extender surround about three-fourths ofthe circumference of the pipe, the jaw 12 being curvedtoward its companion aw13 to form a con-l tracted mouth for the'opening 11, said mouth being equalto or preferably slightly larger than the diameter of the size of the pipe for which the tool is'designed. Above the opening 11, the head is provided with a mortise 14 in which the lower end ofa suitable handle 15 is fitted, the same beingsecured in lace byv screws 16' or" similar fastenings. h 1 W 1 liewr mhfh ad, s a p d 9 vide a pipe wrench which is so constructed and organwhen brought into engage "directly engage one side of the pipe while the opposingjaw '13 is free from engagement therewith and constitutes a supporting arm which carries one or more retractable gripping jawsor members 17 ,no'rmally extending into the wrench-opening'and arranged toengage or grip the other side of said pipe. i A The hearing or contact face 18 of the jaw 12 which forms a partial wall of the opening 11 is, by preference,substantially semicircular in shape toembrace aboutone half .the pipe and is described from thecenter indicated at a, while the remaining arcuate portion 19 of the opening-wall. which is formed on the arm 13 and beyond which the grippingjaws 17. normally project for en gaging'the opposite side of the pipe, is described from the center indicated at b. As

- shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the radii of the arcs described. from these centers are, substan tially the same and said centers are eccentric to each other, thecenter 6 being located at one side of the center a and below a horizontal line drawn through thelatter. These radii vary for wrenches of different sizes, being approximately equal to one-half 'the external diameter of the pipe for which the tool is intended. In the operative position of the wrench on the pipe, shown in Fig. 1, the center a coincides with the axis of' said pipe, so that the face 18 of the jaw 12bears evenly against the top, and adjoining side thereof, while" the remaining portion19of the wrench-opening is eccentric to and therefore clears the opposite sideof the pipe. 'As

indicated infFig. 2, the lower end of the gripping face -18 terminates short ofa vertical line and below a horizontal line drawn through the center a and at a point which inters'e'cts'a vertical line 0' drawn tan ent to' thecircle describedfrom' thecenter The retractable. gripping jaws 17 of whieh two are shownin the drawings, are substantially in ;the "fornr of pawls 1 yieldingly mounted on opposite sides er the supporting arm. 13 to swing into and out of the we space 20,. resulting fromtheeccentric are pipe P. To thisend, each retractable jaw is provided at its :inner end with a hub or 1 5 1 r angement of the portion 19- of theopening' 11, for gripping engagement; with the ingly-shaped socket 252 in its supporting arm and held therein by a set-screw 23 whose inner end projects into a groove 24 disposed lengthwise in the upper side of said jaw. A plunger 25 backed by a coil spring 25 and guided in an opening 26 in the wrenchhead tends constantly to project each jaw firmly and positively into gripping engagement with the pipe. The downward swinging movement of the jaw is limited by the lower edge thereof abutting against a stop-shoulder 27 formed on the arm-portion 13 of the wrench-head, 7

To allow the movable jaws 17 to be retracted clear of the space to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, which action' is necessary to permit the application and removal of the wrench to and from the pipe being operated upon, the arm-portion 13 of the wrench-head is provided in its opposite sides with escapement recesses 28 which are preferably of sufiicient depth to receive the respective jaws. That portion 29 of each yieldable jaw below its gripping edge 30 is preferably convex, to enable the same to ride freely over the pipe when the wrench is engaged with and disengaged from it. 7

The retractable jaws are so positioned on the wrench-head, that, when applied to a pipe for which it is designed to fit, their gripping edges 30 willvpositively grip the pipe at a point below its horizontal. axis or below a diametral plane containing the centera, so that upon turning the handle 15 in the direction indicated by the arrow in F 1, said jaws will bite into the pipe and cause it to turn in a corresponding direction to 'loosenor tighten the same. It will be noted in the same figure, that the longitudinal celiter line of the handle is in line with the center Z1 from which the arcuate portion 19 of the wrench-opening is described.

While the jaws 17 in the drawings are shown as being of the same length, they may be of different lengths, if desired, whereby the grip on the'pipe is distributed over the same at different radial points on its circumfe'rence and not line.

In applying this wrench to a pipe, its opening 11 is passed over the same in a "substantiallly upright position, the mouth of such opening being just wide enough to receive the pipe. 1 As the wrench is thus engaged with the pipe, the yieldable jaws 17, which normally project into the wrench localizedon one radial opening, are at first forced or retracted into "their recesses 28 by their convex lower edges 29 strikingthe surface of the pipe, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. As soon as these jaws pass the upper half of the pipe they are automatically projected into gripping engagement with the pipe by their s ring-pressed plu-ngers -25. In this position of the tool, shown by full lines in Fig. 1, the same is set for turning the pipe in a clockwise direction,'the are included be tween the gripping faces of the jaws 12 and 17 being more than 180. After turning the wrench a fraction of a revolution to effeet a corresponding movement ofthe pipe, the same can be turned in the reverse direction to take a new hold on the pipe, the yieldable jaws permitting aratchet-like action for this purpose.v

In removing the wrench from the pipe, the same is lifted therefrom in the direction of length of the opening 11 or in a sub: stantially vertical direction, as shown by dotted lines in F ig. 1. .During this lifting or pulling movement of the tool out of engagement with the pipe, it moves bodily in a lateral direction relative to, said pipe, owing to the fixed jaw-face 18 extending around the lower side portion thereof,'thereby causing the lower inner edge of such fixed jaw to ride on the exterior surface ofthe pipe and gradually forcing the movable jaws '17 against the resistance of their springplungers into the recesses 28. As soon as the lower edge of the fixed jaw and the lower edges of the movable jaws reach the diametral plane of the pipe, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the .inou'th of the wrenchopening 11 is no longer obstructed and the, complete removal of the wrench can be readily effected, after which said movable jaws spring back to their initial projected posi- Q i f The modification illustrated inv Fig. 5, j shows another way in which the movable jaws are held against lateraldisplacement in their sockets. In this construction, the fulcrum-end of the jaw 31 is providedwith a substantially semi-circular groove32 with 1 which a pin 33, fixed in the adjacent portion its body portion is of such dimensions; as 12 1 to permit a lateral movement of the wrench relative to the pipe, one of said jaws ex; tending around one s de "or :the pipe and having its bearing face concentric therewith, the-other having its opposing face eccentric to the pipe and in spaced relation thereto, and a releasable gripping *Inem'ber fulcrumed on said last-named jaw and normaliy projecting into said heado'penmg for engagementwi'th the 'otherside 13o of the pipe, said gripping member being arranged to grip the pipe when the wrench is turned but permited to be released therefrom when the wrench is pulled in a direction away from the pipe, or to be automatically displaced from the opening-mouth when the wrench is thrust over the pipe.

2. A wrench of the character described, comprising a head having a downwardlyfacing pipe-receiving opening and opposing jaws adapted to extend around approximate- 1y three-fourths of the circumference of the pipe, vthe mouth of said opening being contracted and of a size to pass over the pipe, the opposing. faces of said jaws being curved, one faceengagingsubstantially one half the pipe and being concentric therewith, the other face being free from engagement with the pipe and eccentric thereto, the face of the jaw engaging the pipe terminating at a point below the horizontal axis thereof and substantially on a vertical line tangent to the opposite side of the circle on which the eccentric face of the otherjaw' is described, and a retractable gripping member mounted on said last-named jaw for movement into and out of said opening and arranged to grip the pipe at a point opposite the companion jaw;

3. A tool of the character described, comprising a handle, an open-ended wrenchhead connected therewith having opposlng jaws, one of the jaws being adapted for engagement with one side of an objectto be turned while the other is free from engagement therewith, said last-named jaw having a socket and a recess therein, a retractable gripping member for engaging the opposite side of the object fulcrumed in said socket and movable into and out of said recess, the fulcrum end of said gripping member having a groove in its periphery, and a pin secured to said wrench-head and extending into said socket for engagement with the groove of said gripping member.

4. A tool of the characterdescribed, com

prising a head having a pipe-receiving open- 'named jaw for movement relative thereto and normally extending part-way across ing and opposing fixed jaws, one of the said mouth with its gripping portion faoing in a direction toward the closed end of the pipe receiving openin said gripping member being displaceable' rom such open-' ing by contact with the pipe during the application and removal of the Wrench to and from the same.

5. A tool of the character described, comprising a handle, an open-ended wrenchhead connected therewith having stationary jaws facing. in a direction opposite to that of said handle, one of the jaws being arranged to bear against one side of an object to be turned while the other is free from engagement therewith and eccentrically disposed relatively thereto to permit" a lateral displacement of the wrench relative to the object, and a retractable gripping member applied to the eccentrically-disposedjawand normally extending into the wrenchopening for engagement with the opposite side of the object, said gripping memberbeing automatically displaceable from said opening by the lateral movement vof the wrench-head relative to the object, such movement being efiected by the application and removal of the wrench to and from the object.

GUSTAVUS A. MONTGOMERY. Q 

